Updated Renderings Revealed for $195M ‘Broadway Block’ Development in Long Beach (and Yes, Acres Of Books Will Be Incorporated)

Right next to the very uninspiring lofts being built at the northwest corner of Broadway and Elm in DTLB, a much (much) larger neighboring project has revealed updated renderings.

The $195M Broadway Block project (previously at a price tag of $154M) takes up the eastern edge of Long Beach Blvd. between Broadway and 3rd Street. In this space sits the revered-but-shuttered Acres of Books, which developer Cliff Ratkovich of Ratkovich Properties said would not only be adaptively reused for the project but also brought into the project “to create a one-of-a-kind culture and spirit.” The other part of the 50,000 sq. ft. space was mainly used as a parking lot.

Ratkovich boasts that the adaptive reuse of Acres of Books will prove to be the “first of its kind in DTLB.” Judging from renderings, the Art Deco-style building will be a key component of its entry way along Long Beach Blvd.

The property was transferred to Broadway Block LLC for $7.8M in an unanimous vote during the Long Beach City Council meeting in July of last year. The development, a partnership between Ratkovich Properties LLC, Urbana LLC, and The Owl Companies.

The 3rd Street portion will have a 21-story residential while the Broadway stretch will have a seven-story structure. Combined, the project will bring 392 residential units to the Downtown area (previously 375), 5,773 square feet of creative office space, 3,873 square feet of flex space, 6,012 square feet of loft space, 1,311 square feet of ArtExchange space and 3,200 square feet of university space.

Updated renderings show the geometric rooftop of the pyramid-like façade of the southwest corner, mirrored squares that permit the plebeians to look up toward swimmers with jealousy and a sense of voyeurism, and a sea of mostly white folks. (Please work on that, renderers.)

Total parking requirements for the site are 511 spaces but 524 spaces are included in the current proposal.

Construction was expected to begin summer of 2018 but has now been pushed to the beginning of 2019.

There should be no less than 700 parking spaces provided. Two per unit. LB cannot keep building without making it even more impossible for present residents to find parking. Ask how many people circle their neighborhood after work….ask the nurses who come home at 11pm and have to walk 8 blocks at night without protection. All these decisions are being made by people who never have to think of this.

No, they do think about it and come to conclusion that it’s the wrong direction. This project is downtown and the key to the success of any downtown is walkability and street life. If it’s too convenient to drive and park people will drive. This means no street presence and the walkability goes down due to the clash between pedestrians and cars. The goal for DTLB should be to emerge as a great city similar to SF, NY, DTLA, Paris, London, etc. All of which have a strong street life, walking culture, and not enough parking. They are also some of the most successful and popular cities in the world. This doesn’t come overnight, but limiting parking and building up is a step in the right direction.

Graham, I can’t agree with your assessment. All of the cities you have stated have a large employment opportunities within the city and public infrastructure can support the walkability agreement.

Sadly this is not the case for Long Beach and most residents either drive south to Orange County or LA for employment. To compound the issue most places being constructed tend to have higher rent, which makes a 2 person occupancy one way to afford these living spaces. This increases the number of vechiles within the impacted areas and has the opposite effect the city intends.

I agree with comments by Graham. Go to the Downtown core of any great city and what do you see? NOT a bunch of parking everywhere but dense developments that allow people to walk more. Also streets get safer when there is more activity on the street level which is precisely what happens in a vibrant urban core. I realize it doesn’t work for everyone, but households in dense cities don’t need two cars. Live, work, and play in the same are and you might not need a car at all. I live in DTLB and walk to work at St Mary Hospital. Or I take the Blue Line. Or I ride a blue bike share. Or I take the bus. You get the point. And on my way home I pass by a grocery store, a few drug stores, banks, the post office etc. All with no car and within a mile as well. My apartment has a Walk score of 97! My lifestyle is completely foreign to many in California but it’s absolutely old news to someone from NYC SF or even DTLA.

Oh and Brian I’m sorry you find the Huxton Townhomes so underwhelming. I hope they are a little more exciting than the renderings but I think that they are hitting such a sweet spot with new construction with green solar/electric and a Single Car garage with EV charger! What will the parking haters say?

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